IT for Change participated in the regional consultations held by the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression and Opinion and co-organized by the Association of Progressive Communications on 4th and 5th October 2022. This was a follow-up on the Special Rapporteur's seminal report on Freedom of Expression and Gender Justice in 2021, where IT for Change's inputs were recognized. Given the grave concerns of online gender-based violence and its impact on women's freedom of expression, IT for Change has submitted its inputs regarding the importance of protecting women's right to publicness as well as public participation in online spaces. A key contention in this submission is that social media platforms, that enable virality of hate through their algorithms, must be held accountable for practices that platform harmful and hateful content.
Please read the full submission here.